PHNOM PENH, Cambodia—The Philippines rode on Angel Otom’s brilliance as it unleashed a nine-gold juggernaut on Wednesday to hike its total to 27 gold medals in the 12th ASEAN Para Games here.
Otom, 19, claimed her third and fourth gold medal at the Morodok Aquatics Center with a pair of stunning victories in the women’s 50m butterfly and freestyle S5 events to become the country’s first quadruple gold medalist.
The magnificent Olongapo lass made her effort more meaningful by setting a new Games’ record of 47.33 seconds in the 50m butterfly after shattering her 48.07 performance last year in Surakarta, Indonesia.
Meanwhile, woodpusher Darry Bernardo outclassed the men’s standard B2B3 competition by copping the individual gold as well as the team title, alongside Menandro Redor and Arman Subaste.
Bernardo’s earlier triumphs came in rapid individual and team Sunday.
He could emerge as the most be-medalled Filipino athlete, if not the whole of the Games itself, if he could add the individual and team blitz gold medals on Thursday at the Royal University.
Also striking gold were Evaristo Carbonel (discus throw F11) and Jerold Mangliwan (200m T52) at the Morodok Techo National Stadium while tanker Ernie Gawilan chipped in a gold in the 200m individual medley SM7.
At press time, the Philippines stayed at fifth and already amassed 27 golds, one shy of replicating its 28-gold haul last year.
Gawilan also pocketed the silver medal in the 50m buttterfly (34.72), finishing second to Singapore’s Wei Soong Toh (30.78). Vietnam’s Nguyen Hoang Nha (34.84) was third.
